Karen Read investigator forced to read ‘unprofessional and regrettable’ texts during murder trial
The Massachusetts state trooper leading the investigation into the death of Karen Read’s boyfriend read aloud disparaging texts he wrote calling the suspect a “wack job c–t” and “retarded” at her murder trial Monday — and admitted to making fun of her Crohn’s disease and sending other “regrettable” jokes.
In messages sent to his childhood friends, Lt. Michael Proctor referred to Read as a “babe” with “no ass” and joked about searching through her phone for nudes during his investigation into the death of her Boston cop boyfriend, John O’Keefe, whom she allegedly mowed down with her car and left for dead.
“I don’t have an explanation other than they’re regrettable and it’s something I’m not proud of, the language that I used,” Proctor said of his texts on Monday, according to Boston.com.
In one set of texts, Proctor wrote, “She waffled him. I looked at his body in the hospital. He was banged up.” In another message, he added: “She hit him with her car.”
In response, one of his friends asks, “She hot, at least?” to which Proctor said he replied, “She’s a wack job c–t. Yes, she’s a babe. Weird Fall River accent, though. No ass.”
Other messages revealed Proctor making light of Read’s Crohn’s disease, writing, “She’s got a leaky balloon knot. Leaks poo.”
While under questioning, Proctor acknowledged that his messages were “unprofessional,” but also argued, “These juvenile, unprofessional comments have zero impact on the facts and the evidence and the integrity of this investigation.”
Proctor also confirmed that he texted his wife on June 9, 2022 — the day Read was indicted and arrested in O’Keefe’s death — that he was “waiting to lock this wack job up.”
When asked why he made those comments, Proctor rattled off evidence in the case, telling the courtroom, “Based off Mr. O’Keefe’s injuries, Ms. Read’s statements when Sgt. [Yuriy] Bukhenik and I interviewed her, her broken taillight, … some taillight pieces found at the scene, the compelling evidence pointing directly at Ms. Read — that she struck Mr. O’Keefe with her vehicle — led me to make those comments.”
Proctor continued: “Like I said, they were not professional comments. But based on the day’s investigation, it was clear that Ms. Read had struck Mr. O’Keefe with her vehicle.”
Proctor read more text messages from a group chat, where a fellow trooper sent a photo of one of Read’s lawyers, David Yannetti, on Aug. 17, 2022.
“Funny, I’m going through his retarded client’s phone. No nudes so far,” Proctor said he wrote. “I hate that man, I truly hate him.”
He confirmed Read was the client in question and said he does not look through suspects’ phones for nude photos and claimed he can still be an objective investigator despite the “poor joke” he had made.
What to know about the Karen Read murder case
- Karen Read, 44, was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly mowing down her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, as she was dropping him off to meet friends in Canton, Mass., on Jan. 29, 2022.
- The night of O’Keefe’s death, the couple had been out on a bar crawl, with Read allegedly consuming seven drinks in just 90 minutes, according to reports.
- Prosecutors claim that after Read drunkenly ran over her boyfriend, she drove off and left O’Keefe to die outside as a snowstorm was set to sweep in.
- Read’s lawyers argued she was framed in a sweeping law enforcement cover-up and that O’Keefe actually died after getting into an altercation with his officer friends.
- The two-month trial that had 74 witnesses featured stunning revelations, including “unprofessional” messages by the lead detective, and crowds of fawning supporters who cheered Read outside court each day.
- On July 1, 2024, Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial in the case, since the jury was not able to reach a unanimous verdict after five days of deliberations.
- Read faced up to life in prison if she had been convicted on the top count of murder.
“I believe poor jokes and unprofessional language have no bearing on the integrity and the facts and physical evidence of this case,” Proctor asserted.
Read’s lawyers then suggested that Proctor had made up his mind about Read’s guilt before investigating the case.
“In other words, Trooper Proctor, you don’t get to pick a suspect and then try to find evidence to support your choice, right?” he asked.
“Correct,” Proctor replied.
“But in this case, that’s exactly what you did, isn’t it?” Jackson pressed.
“Absolutely not,” Proctor said.
Read, 44, who is facing second-degree murder charges, has maintained her innocence. Her defense attorneys say Proctor’s texts support their claim that she’s the scapegoat in a conspiracy involving various branches of Massachusetts law enforcement.
The trial is set to resume Wednesday morning with Proctor still under cross-examination.
